TV chef Rachel Allen shows us how to create great food that’s both good for you and delicious
Rachel Allen’s shares her recipe for pan-grilled chicken breasts with lemon and marjoram aioli and roast cherry tomatoes.
Top Tip: For the roast tomatoes, try to get hold of cherry tomatoes or small tomatoes that are still attached to the stalk. These look good and the stalk can be cut with scissors into portions before cooking. If the tomatoes are off the stalk, you can cook them whole or cut in half.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts#
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the roast cherry tomatoes:
- About 20 small or cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
Lemon and marjoram aioli:
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 175ml sunflower oil
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped or dried marjoram
- 100ml chicken stock (or water)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. Place the tomatoes on a baking tray (if they are cut in half, place them cut side up), drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the skin is a little blistered and the flesh soft on the inside. Take out of the oven and keep warm until serving – they will sit happily for up to half an hour in the oven with the heat turned off.
Place a cast-iron griddle pan or a frying pan on a high heat and allow it to get quite hot – it should be just smoking. Rub the chicken breasts with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in the pan skin side down and cook for 4 – 5 minutes or until the one side is a deep golden colour or has good scorch marks (if using the griddle pan). Turn the chicken over and reduce the heat, continuing to cook for 8 – 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (it should be opaque in the middle).
Meanwhile, make the aioli. Place the garlic, marjoram, egg yolks, lemon juice and mustard in a bowl. Place the oils together in a jug and pour into the egg yolks very gradually in a very thin stream while whisking constantly. Continue to add the oils, whisking all the time until all the oil has been added and the aioli is thick. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving dish and keep warm.
Deglaze the pan by placing the roasting tray on a medium heat and pouring in the stock (or water) and using a whisk to dissolve the delicious juices stuck to the tray. Bring up to the boil, then pour into a jug and allow to sit for a minute for the tart to float up to the top. Spoon off the fat. Reheat the liquid if it has cooled down completely, pour into the aioli gradually, whisking constantly.
To serve, place the chicken breasts, whole or sliced, on warmed plates, spoon some sauce over the top or around the edge and place a portion of cherry tomatoes on the side.
- Serves 4, preparation time 40 minutes)
Ecover has teamed up with chef and mother of three Rachel Allen to launch its ‘Eat Clean, Feel Good’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the hidden ‘nasties’ in washing up liquid.